USAirways plans to deemphasize hubs in favor of more point to point service.

I’m in general a big fan of the currently disfavored hub and spoke system, but USAirways is desperate. They lost $177 million last quarter with post-bankruptcy costs and their Philadelphia hub is being challenged by Southwest.

Besides, USAirways has poorly placed hubs to begin with. With Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, USAirways passengers are constantly overflying USAirways hubs. They aren’t positioned for passenger convenience, but merely duplicate service. And with existing concentration cities in places like Washington, DC, Boston, and LaGuardia, their most lucrative routes bypass their hubs to begin with.

USAirways desperation watch continues…